Dear Brethren,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.” That is what keeps going through my mind when I think of our time back in the States. God has given us such a time of rejoicing amongst family and friends. We were able to spend Christmas with my mother and all three of my sisters, that is actually the first Christmas that all of us have been together since I was a baby. It was a great time, especially for Cassia and Alexandria. They have seldom been with so many family members at one time.
We arrived in Rochester, NY in October and were overwhelmed at the welcome from our home church and so many of our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord provided so amazingly for us… an apartment, furnishings, stocked cupboards, a vehicle to drive and the list goes on and on. The Lord knew much better than we did that we needed a break from the field, and we have been so ministered to, so completely taken care of and blessed that we are just humbled and awed by His absolute provision. We could never begin to mention everyone that God has used during the past few months so we’d like to say a collective “Thank you!!!” from the bottom of our hearts to so many that have been a special blessing to our family.
Just a week after we flew into Rochester, we traveled down to Tennessee for two meetings. We were still getting over jet-lag, adjusting to American culture and I have to admit we were all more than a little homesick for L’viv. Well, the Lord had even prepared for that eventuality and had several people in place to ease our homesickness and help us transition back to life in the US. In the first church that we pulled into we met a pastor and his wife that had ministered in Belarus for eight years. It was like home away from home, we talked about Slavik foods, people and culture for two days, what a blessing it was to us! The next day we were able to stop in Nashville and meet up with Brea and Lindsey Blessing, they are the daughters of missionary friends in Ukraine. Brea and Lindsey grew up in L’viv and are favorite friends of Cassia and Alexandria. It was great to stop for an hour, have a Starbucks with them and do some reminiscing. Then we were on to Baltimore where we spent the night and saw Jason Moore, the brother that first pastored the Ukrainian church in L’viv where we attend. The Lord showered us with friends from back home during that first couple of weeks and they all helped us adjust to being back so much.
We’ve been in many churches since then, from Staten Island to Texas and all have been a tremendous blessing. We are so excited to see the Lord raise up such a huge response to the presentation of the Carpathian mountain ministry. Everyone has been excited about what we’re doing and of course that has been such an incredible encouragement for us. We already have three confirmations from men that have committed to joining our 2008 team. And, we have had 94 information packet downloads from our website! There is also a possibility of some church groups coming over this summer to help evangelize in the mountains. The more people we have, the more we can do, praise the Lord!
Joshua is in L’viv holding down the fort. We now have 381 people enrolled in the Correspondence Bible Course. The responses have slowed since the summer but still continue to come in, now it’s primarily by word of mouth. The Thursday evening Bible studies are going well, Josh reports that one of the ladies that began attending back in October was recently saved! She is really excited and already asking how she can serve the Lord.
We have a prayer request for our ministry center. The landlady is going trying to raise our rent from $300 to $400 per month. We are hoping to counter offer with $350 and sign a shorter contract so that we can begin to look for another apartment to meet in. We really need a good location where we can continue to hold Bible studies, store literature and house the correspondence ministry. Housing in L’viv is at a premium, very hard to find and the prices continue to escalate. Please pray for God to open up a good apartment with a good landlord.
Also, we have yet to officially welcome our newest “permanent” team member! Her name is Rebekah Praise Steele, born last week and weighing in at 8 lbs. “Aunt Teresa and Uncle Jessie” can hardly wait to get back there and introduce ourselves! :>) Congratulations Josh and Kelsie!
About two weeks ago, we had a meeting in Colorado not far from where Nathan Day lives. Nathan was still home for the holidays so we were able to stay with his family and fellowship for a couple of days. Nathan is the oldest of eight and we had a great time getting to know everyone. It was also a blessing to have him with us in church Sunday when we presented the ministry.
Just this past Sunday we had a meeting in the Fort Worth area at Fairpark Baptist Church. Four of our 2006 team members are from Fairpark and it was so good to see them, and also spend a little time with Joshua Steele’s parents and family. All the guys are “featured” at some point in the presentation and it was really fun reliving a bit of their mountain experiences.
On a more serious note, we need to report a tragedy that occurred in Ukraine this past month. You may remember us writing about missionary Brian Higgins. Jessie and Brian worked together for several years to build a church in L’viv. Brian very suddenly collapsed and died due to a weakened muscle in his heart. He was a vital part of the missionary community and will be sorely missed by all in L’viv. Please pray especially for Brian’s wife Tanya, and for his four children. Please pray also for Brian’s church, they will continue under the direction of missionary Dan Bardwell.
We would also ask that you continue to pray for us as we travel and present the ministry. We will soon be heading further west into Nevada and California. Please pray also for the Lord’s continued protection over our house in L’viv and also our van that is awaiting our return in Poland.
It has been wonderful to be home with friends and family. Many thanks again to all of you that have made our time in the States so special. To those of you that we haven’t seen yet, consider yourselves warned! :>) We’re on our way!!!
Your Missionaries for His Sake,
Jessie, Teresa, Cassia and Alexandria
